ReThinking

If you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re in good company. Fredrik Backman is the author of 11 books, including his latest hit “My Friends” and his first novel “A Man Called Ove,” which hit the New York Times bestseller list and was made into a film starring Tom Hanks. But he still struggles with self-confidence. In this episode, Fredrik speaks candidly with Adam about his battles with anxiety and procrastination, and the two discuss the psychology of pursuing happiness, building self-esteem, and living with grief. It’s a conversation unlike any other we’ve had.

Featured guest
Follow Fredrik Backman on Instagram and at https://www.fredrikbackman.com/
Buy Fredrik's books here

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s Substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens to the brain when men become fathers? Clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Darby Saxbe studies how investing in caregiving changes the brains and bodies of men.. Darby and Adam examine the surprising similarities between dad and mom brains and the different mechanisms that activate them. They also discuss the effects of having a daughter on men’s empathy and generosity, the hormonal mechanism behind “dad bods,” and the case for workplaces to grant parental leave to men as well as women.

Featured guest
Follow Darby Saxbe on Instagram and https://www.darbysaxbe.com/
Subscribe to her Substack, Natal Gazing
Buy Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How it Shapes Men's Lives

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many people report that their attention spans have diminished—but what if you can rebuild your concentration skills? Gloria Mark is a professor of informatics at UC Irvine who studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. In this episode, Gloria joins Adam to dig into her research on multitasking, interruptions, and focus, sharing insights on why we’re so easily distracted and how to train your brain to improve concentration. Gloria also answers a question from historian Daniel Immerwahr, a past Re:Thinking guest, and makes the case for moderation as a more effective prescription than a full digital detox.

Featured guest
Follow Gloria Mark on LinkedIn, and https://gloriamark.com/
Buy Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to actually be the greatest of all time? Chuck Klosterman is a cultural critic who studies the lowbrow, taking a closer look at sports, music, and media to discover what it can tell us about society and human behavior. In this episode, Adam challenges Chuck on his controversial take that Tom Brady is not the greatest football player of all time, and the two wrestle with the definition of greatness in the context of modern culture. Chuck also argues that football is headed towards a decline as America’s favorite sport, and invites Adam to reconsider whether or not self-awareness is an advantageous trait.

Featured guest
Follow Chuck Klosterman on Facebook and at https://chuckklostermanauthor.com/
Buy Chuck's book Football

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"We don't live in a stable world anymore. We live in a rapidly changing, turbulent world. And in a dynamic environment, intelligence is not just your ability to think and learn, it's your capacity to rethink and unlearn."
Adam Grant, organizational psychologist, podcaster, and author of the bestseller "Think Again", tells us why we are wrong in many of our assumptions about today's world, and why we would all benefit from tackling our own biases - not least the "I'm-not-biased" bias.

And he explains why the wrong sorts of people too often get promoted or elected to positions of power.
Adam spoke to Radio Davos at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.

Links:
Think Again: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/

Books Adam mentions:
Factfulness: https://www.gapminder.org/factfulness-book/
The Better Angels of Our Nature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature
Not the End of the World: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.